DODGERS WAITING TO GET BETTER PENDING SALE HALTS PLAYER ACQUISITION.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

News Corp.'s agreement with prospective Dodgers owner Frank McCourt is scheduled to reach a conclusion in 10 days. But it seems increasingly possible that the deadline could be extended and the team's player-acquisition plans would continue to be impacted.

McCourt and Major League Baseball officials had an 11-hour meeting Tuesday in New York in an effort to resolve the debt-equity issues involved in McCourt's $430 million agreement.

The meeting included, among others, Chicago White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, Atlanta Braves chairman emeritus Bill Bartholomay, News Corp.'s Gary Ehrlich and baseball's chief operating officer, Bob DuPuy.

``I remain optimistic that we can consummate the transaction in the time frame the buyer and seller indicated was important,'' DuPuy said. ``It was a constructive dialogue. This is a complicated transaction. We hope we are moving toward the finish line.''

Neither side returned phone messages, but it seems likely the sale will be put to an owners' vote. That vote, however, might take place after the deadline Jan. 31 and could open the door for local billionaire Eli Broad's backup plan to become recognized as a viable option.

The deadline is part of the agreement, and won't be enforced by Major League Baseball, so News Corp. and McCourt could choose to extend the deadline.

A source said baseball officials want to give McCourt the opportunity to see his bid through to a conclusion, assuming the debt-equity problems can be resolved. McCourt's bid is financed almost entirely with loans, including a substantial loan from News Corp.

Meanwhile, two high-ranking team sources have confirmed that the sale of the Dodgers has impacted general manager Dan Evans' efforts to improve the team's offense this offseason.

Evans won't comment on any possible problems and has repeatedly said he continues to answer to managing partner Bob Daly, not McCourt. But the sources confirmed that McCourt's influence, and the widely held belief he will cut payroll significantly, has handcuffed Evans to a large extent.

Although offensive impact players such as Vladimir Guerrero and Miguel Tejada were available on the free-agent market this winter, the Dodgers did not make a serious play for either.

The reason, the team sources said, is McCourt's reluctance to take on expensive long-term contracts, and to a lesser extent, News Corp.'s reluctance to take on more payroll and make the sale less attractive. Even as McCourt met with baseball officials, Los Angeles officials indicated they wanted the next owner of the Dodgers to be local.

``The unique and special role the Dodgers have played in civic life in Los Angeles can be maximized if the future ownership of the team is based locally,'' City Councilman Jack Weiss said in a motion to be considered Friday.

``I would like to see the Dodgers owned by individuals who have demonstrated a strong commitment to the people of Los Angeles and local community affairs.''

The motion did not specifically mention Broad, but last week Mayor James Hahn spoke to Broad about the possibility of buying the Dodgers.

Weiss said he recognized the council could play only a limited role in the outcome of the team's sale, but he hoped the city's view would carry some weight.

The Dodgers were able to take care of some baseball business Tuesday, as they avoided arbitration with pitcher Odalis Perez and signed him to a one-year, $5 million contract.

In arbitration news, Eric Gagne asked for $8 million and the Dodgers offered $5 million. Team officials are optimistic they will be able to reach a compromise with Gagne's agent, Scott Boras, and sign their Cy Young Award-winning closer to a contract before next month's hearings.

Guillermo Mota asked for $1.75 million and the Dodgers offered $1.2 million. Jolbert Cabrera asked for $1.35 million and the Dodgers offered $850,000.

Staff Writer Rick Orlov and Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rich Hammond, [phone]

rich.hammond(at)dailynews.com